Translator: AnubisTL
Liang Country, Yu Prefecture, Jiangyun City!
Dense forests surrounded the mountain stream, occasionally disturbed by startled birds taking flight.
"This is incredibly risky. We've ventured deep into Shangqing Sect territory, yet we haven't been discovered."
"By doing the opposite of what they'd expect, even the Shangqing Sect wouldn't imagine we'd dare to infiltrate this far."
"Senior Sister Su Xin's plan is certainly bold. But when you think about it, this is the only route to reach the Mu Kingdom and seek refuge with the Lingyun Sect."
"Exactly. The Shangqing Sect's defenses are stretched thin right now. Looking at the situation, this is indeed the best option."
"..."
Despite the praise from her fellow sect elders, Su Xin's face remained expressionless. Her gentle, beautiful features were perpetually tinged with melancholy.
"It's nothing. Let's rest and recover here."
Indeed, it was nothing more than replicating the escape route once used by a qi refining realm thief.
It had been so many years since they parted ways. She wondered how that fellow was doing—whether he had successfully established his foundation after joining the Lingyun Sect.
Rumor had it that the Lingyun Sect had recently clashed with the suppressed ancient demonic race. She wondered if he was still alive.
It was precisely because of the ancient demons that the Lingyun Sect was unable to spare resources.
Having just survived the annihilation of her sect, Su Xin's thoughts immediately turned to the cause of their destruction, and a wave of grief washed over her once more.
The images of the Ancestors fighting valiantly for the sect, and Sect Leader Qing Xuan leading countless disciples and elders fearlessly to their deaths, flashed through her mind.
Since that day, the Heavenly River Sect had ceased to exist. She would never see those people again.
Whenever she thought of this, Su Xin felt as if her heart were being torn apart.
Suddenly, a piercing eagle's cry rang through the air.
"Scree!"
High above, a magnificent azure eagle soared swiftly across the horizon, its speed leaving faint afterimages above the mountain ravine.
The majestic eagle emitted no discernible aura as it circled twice before vanishing into the sky.
This would have been an ordinary sight, but Liu Hanyue's expression immediately tightened.
"Junior Sister Hanyue, what's wrong?" Nine Heavens noticed Liu Hanyue's unusual reaction and asked directly.
"That was a Sky-Rending Eagle," Liu Hanyue murmured to herself.
A Sky-Rending Eagle?
Due to the great distance, the other elders hadn't paid particular attention and couldn't discern the Demon beast's tier.
"What about the Sky-Rending Eagle?" Liu Huai'an pressed, his brow furrowed.
If anyone knew the Sky-Rending Eagle best, it was Liu Hanyue.
Years ago, the Liu Clan had been driven to the brink of destruction by the Flying Eagle Bandits, leaving them in utter chaos.
"The Flying Eagle Bandits—or rather, Ling Ying—is an elder of the Shangqing Sect who once stirred up a storm in the Heavenly River Market area," Liu Hanyue explained, her voice grave.
"Ling Ying keeps a Sky-Rending Eagle, which is said to have long since reached the Second-Tier Demonic Beast level."
"The Sky-Rending Eagle we saw just now was likely the demon bird Ling Ying keeps."
Liu Hanyue's expression grew increasingly solemn, her entire demeanor tightening with tension.
Her words sent a ripple of unease through the group.
"Sky-Rending Eagles have exceptional eyesight," Liu Huai'an said anxiously. "Does this mean Ling Ying might have discovered our movements?"
"Impossible!" one of the elders protested. "We've been extremely discreet. How could the Shangqing Sect possibly have anticipated this?"
Cutting off the elders' debate, Su Xin took a deep breath, her gaze fixed southwestward. "Let's move!" she declared calmly. "We must head southwest immediately. There's no time to waste!"
After their arduous journey, the group had barely rested when they were forced to move again.
Of course, survival took precedence over rest.
Without complaint, they rose to their feet, ready to resume their escape.
But the next moment, the piercing cry of an azure eagle echoed through the air once more.
"Scree!"
This time, the eagle's cry carried a palpable surge of power—the unmistakable aura of a Second-Tier Demonic Beast, a Sky-Rending Eagle!
Perched on the eagle's back was a gaunt figure, seated in meditation.
"Hahahaha! No wonder my sect scoured the entire Heavenly River Sect region without finding a trace of you. You've fled all the way to Liang Country!" Ling Ying's sinister smile flashed as his gaze locked onto the remnants of the Heavenly River Sect hidden in the mountain ravine's dense forest.
Behind him, Liu Hongyuan followed closely, riding his own magic artifact. "An unexpected maneuver indeed. I must admit, your escape route is quite ingenious."
The surviving members of the Heavenly River Sect paled instantly at the sight.
"Move! We can't afford to fight here. We need to reach the Mu Kingdom as quickly as possible!" Su Xin's eyes burned with determination.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Ignoring their dwindling mana reserves, everyone immediately activated their flying magic artifacts, pushing them to their limits in a desperate attempt to escape Ling Ying's pursuit.
But now that they had entered Shangqing Sect territory and been discovered, fleeing would no longer be so easy.
Boom!
In the next instant, a magnificent golden war boat soared into the sky from the right, carrying several foundation establishment realm cultivators.
These cultivators were members of local cultivation clans, all of whom deferred to the Shangqing Sect's authority. Eager to prove their loyalty, they rushed to claim credit for the pursuit.
"Kill!"
Zhong Ya, the Zhong Clan Head piloting the golden war boat, roared suddenly.
The formation array inscribed on the war boat erupted with spiritual light, and a colossal golden sword materialized in mid-air.
Boom!
The moment the golden sword formed, it slashed down toward the Heavenly River Sect elders' escape route.
"Evade!" Su Xin shouted, her brow furrowed deeply.
The sword's immense power carved a deep ravine into the ground before them in an instant.
The wilderness outside Jiangyun City, which had only recently begun to recover its ecological splendor, suffered another devastating blow.
Even more tragically, two Heavenly River Sect Elders, fleeing too quickly to react, were caught in the sword's path and instantly reduced to bloody pulp.
The ordeal wasn't over yet. The Sky-Rending Eagle soaring overhead suddenly flapped its wings.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several azure feathers shot forth from its body, piercing the air with lethal force. They struck the last foundation establishment cultivator in the fleeing group, piercing through his chest and abdomen.
Three lives had been extinguished in an instant, sending a chill of terror through the remaining Heavenly River Sect elders.
This is too terrifying!
At this rate, they were more likely to be annihilated here than to ever reach the Mu Kingdom.
Worse still, they were on Shangqing Sect territory, unable to retaliate. Any prolonged engagement would inevitably draw more pursuers, sealing their doom.
Despair began to rise in the hearts of every survivor.
"Keep running! Don't stop!" Su Xin's eyes brimmed with sorrow. After the sect's destruction, the heavy responsibility of leading the elders to safety had fallen upon her shoulders.
Now, as the last embers of the Heavenly River Sect continued to be extinguished, her grief deepened.
Ling Ying, seated cross-legged on the Sky-Rending Eagle's back, wore a mocking smile. His gloomy eyes held a cruel glint.
"Heh, sacrificing your fellow sect members without hesitation—truly heroic."
Yet this supposed heroism stirred no pity in his heart.
"Should I stop them?" Liu Hongyuan asked, his gaze fixed on Liu Hanyue in the fleeing crowd.
The primary reason for his defection from the Liu Clan had been Liu Haide's unauthorized gift of the Essence Fusion Fruit to his daughter, which had shattered Liu Hongyuan's hopes of achieving foundation establishment within the clan.
Now that the Liu Clan had been annihilated by the Shangqing Sect—an outcome he had personally orchestrated—he felt an indescribable satisfaction as he watched Liu Haide meet his gruesome end within the clan's ancestral grounds. The mere thought of this scene never failed to fill Liu Hongyuan with malicious glee.
With Liu Hanyue now the sole surviving direct descendant of the Liu Clan, he had no intention of letting her escape so easily.
"No need to rush," Ling Ying replied. "Let's play with these stragglers a bit first. If they want to run, let them exhaust themselves."
"If we corner them now, they might fight like cornered dogs, and we could end up paying a price."
Ling Ying rejected Liu Hongyuan's suggestion, preferring a cautious approach. In his eyes, these survivors were already trapped like fish in a barrel, and he aimed to secure the Heavenly River Sect's remaining fire seed with minimal risk.
Hearing this, Liu Hongyuan fell silent for a moment before activating his flying magic artifact and rapidly closing the distance.
"Hanyue, my niece," he called out with a faint smile, "why are you running so fast after all these years? Why not stop and catch up with your Clan Uncle?"
The moment these words were spoken, Liu Hanyue, who was fleeing on a flying sword, her eyes flashed with a chilling hatred.
"Liu Hongyuan, just you wait. One day I'll personally cut you down to avenge the annihilation of my clan."
Liu Hongyuan remained unfazed by her venomous words, instead sneering coldly.
"Heh, there's no need to wait for 'one day.' I'm right here, right now. Let's see what skills you've honed at the Heavenly River Sect all these years!"
"Too bad you missed Brother Haide's final moments. Why don't you stop and let me recount them in detail?"
Buzz!
"Old ghost, you talk too much!" Liu Huai'an finally snapped, grabbing a talisman paper and activating it with a flick of his wrist.
In the blink of an eye, a massive barrage of ice arrows materialized from thin air, raining down in a frozen storm upon Liu Hongyuan.
This was the advanced version of the Ice Arrow Talisman: Frosty Arrow Rain!
A Mid-Grade Second-Tier talisman, its power was formidable. Each ice arrow contained a massive amount of Extreme Ice Power, guaranteeing severe consequences for anyone struck.
Unfortunately for them, Liu Hongyuan had already anticipated this.
He slowed his pursuit, retrieved a Profound Wood Great Shield, and channeled his mana into it.
The Profound Wood Great Shield suddenly expanded, transforming into a solid wall that effortlessly blocked the incoming barrage of arrows.
It was a top-grade magical artifact!
"Damn it!" Liu Huai'an cursed, his impulsive nature urging him to stop and fight to the death.
"Junior Brother Liu, don't fall for their trap," Nine Heavens calmly warned. "Preserve yourself. There will be plenty of chances for revenge later."
Hearing this, Liu Huai'an gritted his teeth and accelerated his flight, ignoring the taunts of the pursuing Shangqing Sect disciples.
Calm down. I have a heavenly spirit root. I have a heavenly spirit root!
There will be plenty of chances for revenge later!
High above, Ling Ying remained composed, seated atop the Sky-Rending Eagle. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"So, who has the Water Spirit Pearl fragment?" he murmured, turning to glance at the three deceased Heavenly River Sect Elders whose bodies had already been collected by the pursuing Shangqing Sect disciples.
The indifferent expressions of the remaining pursuers suggested the fragment wasn't on the dead elders.
"Forget it. Why bother speculating? I'll just kill them all and find out."
"Using the Water Spirit Pearl fragment as leverage to join the Lingyun Sect? That's quite the scheme."
Ling Ying shook his head with a cold smile, his gaze sweeping toward the horizon. They weren't far from the Mu Kingdom's territory now.
"Senior Yanxi, you may act now!"
(End of the Chapter)
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